episode fourteen — ONE LOOK, DARK ROOM
attack of the clones

Lillia returned home to Valérian with Anakin, who stayed with her in the palace for a couple more days after the Battle of Genosis. Even though Anakin had his own room, it didn't stop him from sneaking into Lillia's during the night. Some moonlit nights were cold, and Anakin shivered in his frost ridden bed, but across the way, the warmth called to him. His feet trailed the ground softly, he made sure not to create any noises. Lillia couldn't sleep, Anakin looked to her as her back faced him and she stared off into the balcony. She had trouble sleeping, similar to Anakin. "Lils?" His soft voice carried through the wind that flowed against the curtains. Lillia turned, sitting up in her bed. "Your still awake?" He asked. "Mhm, can't sleep much anymore." She confessed, patting the bed next to her.

Anakin walked over, sitting on the bed next to her. He rarely slept with a shirt, as he would toss and turn in his sleep, having restless dreams about his mother and other future prophecies he would deem to be untrue. Often, he saw a man in his dreams, he couldn't see his face — or what was left of his face, all he saw was a black mask and the silhouette of a cape. Anakin tried not to worry himself about it, sometimes the universe played silly mind games. He laid down, with one hand behind his head and the other on Lillia's back, tracing small circles and patterns. Lillia kept one arm underneath Anakin, and the other on his warm chest.

"Do you think everything will go back to normal?" Lillia asked, her mind still racing over the recent events that occurred in her life.

"Not for a while." Anakin responded.

Lillia looked up to him, the moonlight hit his chiseled face, making him look much more ethereal. He placed a small kiss on her forehead as she nuzzled closer. This was the one place Lillia could always find herself coming back to, even if she was at home, nothing felt more at home than his arms. The metal hand felt cool on the woman's back, almost sending shivers down her spine. When on the brink or the beginning of the war, Lillia Val'eaon has never truly felt peace as she did now. Anakin took a deep breath, looking down at Lillia from his position on the pillow. "I never want to let go of you." Anakin mumbled. Lillia's heart fluttered.

She got up, still resting a hand on his chest while she stared at his face. Her eyes flickered down to his lips. Anakin looked between her soft expression and her smile. If she was not crafted by Aeyln herself, truly, the gods were put to shame. Anakin sat up, Lillia catching his lips with a kiss. Haakon and Solae provided all the light needed. He rested his hands in her hair as she sat on her lower legs.

Anakin placed his hands on her waist, fingers dancing in her cotton nightgown. He guided her on top of him. Lillia placed her hands in his hair, lips softly entrapping his. They flowed like the sea. They were the moon and sun, and everything in between. Anakin mumbled soft odes against her honeyed lips. They craved each other. Anakin believed every detail on Lillia's body was crafted for him. Her birthmark on the left of her cheek was Anakin in a past life, they both knew it. They would find each other in every lifetime, past and future.

Lillia cupped his jaw, and Anakin pulled her closer as he sat up. "Marry me." He murmured in between kisses, softly nipping her jaw. Lillia stopped for a second. "Anakin, the council." She responded as he quickly pecked her exposed shoulder. "I don't care. I want you." He confirmed his previous statement. Lillia knew it was bad — it was an obvious crime, but she couldn't help what her heart wanted. "Please." He begged. Anakin knew that he could not live unless Lillia Val'eaon lived amongst him. Perhaps he wasn't the sun, he was the moon, and the moon needs the sun in order to shine. "I love you, but we must be smart with this." Lillia answered.

"Always, my love." Anakin smiled against their kiss, putting his hand on her back, entangling her legs with his and flipping them over. He took her hand lovingly, placing a small ring over her finger. He had gotten the ring a few days prior, even though he knew it would be incredibly suspicious to wear it, he still got it just for her. Lillia stared up at him with a soft gaze, placing her hands on his warm back and smiling. She could live in this moment forever.
⠀⠀⠀.　　　　　　　　　　　　　.　　　ﾟ .　　　　　　　　　　　　　. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　✦ 　　　　　,　　　　　　　.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀　　　　　　*　　　　　　　　　　　..　　　　　　　　　　　　　. 　　⋆✴︎　   　　　,　　　　　　　　　*　　　　　⠀　　　　⠀　　,⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀.　　　　　 　　⠀　　　⠀.　 　　˚　　　⠀　⠀  　　,

Lillia woke up to the sun hitting her face and the loud thrust of her door opening. "Happy Birthday!" Talia jumped on her bed, scaring her slightly. She expected to be next to Anakin, with his bare chest on her clothed back, but he was gone. The bed was cold and empty, with the lingering presence of where Anakin laid moments before. Lillia rubbed her eyes, adjusting to the brightness that entrapped her. She had forgotten about her birthday, like most years, she was just happy to be alive. Lillia thought about the night before, Anakin had stunned her, it felt like nothing but a silly dream. Her mind raced and her body flooded the feeling of worry. She loved Anakin, but she did not want to risk his job. Lillia had no idea how she would tell her family, how could she? Jedi were forbidden to form attachments, and marriage was the biggest attachment one could share for another.

"You know we wouldn't forget, everyone is downstairs waiting for you." She smiled, giving a quick kiss to her sisters head and giggling. Lillia laughed, "It's not that important, Tals, just another year to add." Lillia put her feet on the cold floor. The years had flown by, she was no longer that little girl with a burning desire for adventure, she was nineteen stars old and a Queen desperate for her planet's safety. Where did all the time truly go. She trailed down the hallway, hearing faint sounds of giggling and small whispers. Her eyebrows furrowed.

As she turned the corner, she spotted Anakin, who was already dressed in his normal robes, chasing Circe and Verena around the marble hallways. They hadn't noticed Lillia yet, and she admired the happiness on Anakin's face as he played with them. Verena couldn't contain her giggles. She was a small girl, with soft ginger hair. Talia had the same color when she was small, it was strange, since everyone else was strictly brunette. Verena seemed to keep the color on her head, as if never changed when she grew. "You can't catch me, Ani!" She teased from behind the Jedi.

"Aunt Lillia!" Circe shouted, running up to the woman who stood admiring the scene that lay before her.  "Happy Birthday Aunt Lillia!" Verena shouted.

"You two troublemakers, don't you have lessons with your tutor?" Lillia asked, taking the hands of both of them. "Circe does! She said she was mean though!" Verena frowned. Lillia laughed. The tutor was quite a grouchy older lady, and she taught Lillia when she was little. "Well some of the best teachers aren't very nice ones, right?" She leaned down to their level. The girls nodded.

It was true. Lillia learned the hard way most times. To learn, you must accomplish and overcome. She tried her best to teach Circe and Verena the ways of the galaxy before the weight was put on their shoulders, she wanted to help raise strong women within the galaxy, not leave them with surprises. Anakin walked behind Lillia, watching as she spoke with her nieces. "How about I take you both out to the town later today?" Lillia smiled, but before the girls could celebrate and run off, she put her finger up. "That is, only if you visit your tutor and tell me one interesting fact you learned by the time you meet me."

The girls sighed, but knew that their aunt was no easy teacher. They ran off, probably to see who could get the most interesting fact first. "You look beautiful today." Anakin whispered, Lillia taking his hand as he offered it out to help her from her spot on the floor. She smiled, cheeks glowing red and pink.

"What is going to happen once you leave Valérian? The war isn't going to magically stop and disappear just for us." Lillia spoke. It was something that plagued her thoughts, and her dreams. "We'll find a way to make it work, I promise you." He cupped her face, planting a small kiss on her forehead as she engulfed him in a hug. Anakin rested his chin on her head, nuzzling softly.

She often found solace within his touch. He was the summer dawn, and Lillia was the summer dusk. Together they just fit.

Even Yvaine saw it. From the moment they saved her from her kidnappers, Yvaine noticed their care for eachother. Their stolen looks, soft touches in crowded rooms, secret moments that clearly weren't so secret. Even though Yvaine was hardly around the pair, she knew that this was bigger than the moon and stars, bigger than the cosmos above.

Technically, Anakin was meant to leave this morning, but his heart couldn't take it. He told Obi-Wan that he wanted to take extreme measures before Lillia was left alone once again. Obi-Wan knew it was a lie, but he didn't say much to Anakin.
⠀⠀⠀.　　　　　　　　　　　　　.　　　ﾟ .　　　　　　　　　　　　　. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　✦ 　　　　　,　　　　　　　.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀　　　　　　*　　　　　　　　　　　..　　　　　　　　　　　　　. 　　⋆✴︎　   　　　,　　　　　　　　　*　　　　　⠀　　　　⠀　　,⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀.　　　　　 　　⠀　　　⠀.　 　　˚　　　⠀　⠀  　　,
The family sat at the grand dinner table, celebrating Lillia as they all sung a traditional Valéri birthday song. Anakin somehow learned the words a few hours prior, making sure he wouldn't mess it up. The dining room had very tall ceilings, and was decorated with blue fabrics that hung over the windows. Blue was incredibly symbolic to Valérian, with the looming seas in the north and south, the color was said to bring peace. The windows were quite vast, and they overlooked the towns below, which were littered with soft candles and the chatter of people. Selenta was a peaceful capital, and rarely had any sort of crimes or chaos. The family had been chattering for the past couple minutes since dinner started.

Lillia took Verena and Circe down to the town shops a couple hours before. They always loved the shops, so did Talia, Helaena, and Lillia when they were little girls. Street vendors would give them small treats and little gifts, even though they tried to not accept them — they wanted to be seen as equal to the people. Soteria taught them to be humble when they were small, and was very glad it worked out. The shops had many sort of wonders, fabric shops, jewellery shops, clothing shops. Circe and Verena loved them so much, they would ask Lillia to go every other day.

She tried not to give in, but her nieces were her favourite, and always would be. They wandered the shops for a while, until Verena settled on another doll to bring home to the palace. Circe had bought a couple of books with her spare coins.

Lillia picked at a piece of her food, lightly putting it in her mouth as she listened to the conversation. Talia and her father were rambling on about some pod-races, which they frequently watched together on the Holo-Net. Talia was always a huge fan of a Naboolian racer named, Arris Beldosseon. Unfortunately, Kier was a fan of her arch nemesis and challenger, Sandri Kan. The two caused a whole debacle over the topic for years, and Lillia would always hear the victor of the recent match bragging for days, maybe even weeks.

"Everyone here knows Arris Beldosseon has always been the face of Pod-Racing." Talia argued.

Kier objected.

"Sandri Kan has been racing for thirty years, he has the experience, the agility, and the strength." Kier angrily tossed a piece of food in his mouth. Talia scoffed. "Thirty years! He should retire now, he's practically done for." She smiled.

Their debates were always friendly little competitions, but whenever it came to Pod-night, it got pretty serious. "Lillia told us that you used to Pod-Race back in the day, Anakin." Kier looked to the Jedi. "Well yes, It was where I got my love for flying." Anakin held his fork in his hand. Kier nodded. "It is incredibly fun, but very challenging." Anakin finished.

"I hope one day I'll be able to race you!" Kier joked, having the table erupt in a small laughter. "Now, before dinner concludes, I would like to raise a toast!" The man raised from his seat, holding up his glass which was shallowly holding liquor. "A toast to my daughter, Lillia, who is finally home after all this time." He smiled to his youngest daughter, who raised her glass and gave a big smile back. She'd never forget about that day. She thought she'd never make it home, Lillia missed her mother and father, her sisters and nieces.

Everyone raised their glasses, thankful that their prayers to the stars worked after all. "Ooh Ooh! I want to raise a toast too, mommy, may I?" Verena's head peaked over the table. Talia smiled, nodding her head toward her daughter. Verena stood up on the chair, raising her smaller glass which was full of juice. "I want.. to raise a toast to Aunt Lillia too! The ring that Jedi Anakin gave her is very beautiful!" Verena smiled.

Lillia's heart stopped.

She had forgotten to move the ring to her other finger before going off to see the girls. She figured they must've seen it and heard Anakin talking about it, but she didn't know where. It felt like the whole room was staring at her. The walls slowly caved her in, moving in closer and closer as her heart beat against her chest. Her breath quickened as Talia reached for her hand from across the table, basically yanking her out of her seat. The family studied the ring, as if she was a statue on display for a museum. "Lillia.." Soteria looked to her daughter, who took her hand away. A nervous smile sat on her face, and Anakin looked up to her.

Nobody was supposed to know, and even if she contemplated telling her family, it surely wouldn't end up anything like this.

Lillia backed up, swiftly turning around and hurrying out of the dining room. The corridors were nothing but dim with the only light being the torches held on the walls. Her dress flowed against the open windows, which blew in a harsh draft.

Everything had gone to straight chaos.

It was Lillia's fault, she should've taken off the ring and put it somewhere safe. She hurriedly ran toward her chambers, opening up the doors and quickly closing them back up. Her room was lit with soft candle light as she walked onto the balcony. She stared down at the people and wondered what her family was talking about in the dining room, she realized she left Anakin in there, but her mind raced way too much for her to give it a second thought.

Lillia spent a couple minutes alone until she heard the knock on her door. She didn't bother responding, but as Talia walked in, she couldn't help but look back. Lillia was scared. She knew her family loved her, and would love any choice she made, but the way it was announced was totally out of her control. "Lils." She spoke, sitting down on her younger sister's neat bed. Talia rested her cheek on the bed post, looking up at Lillia who stood at the balcony. "You should've told us." She spoke.

"I-I wanted to, I was going to, I just couldn't find the right words." Lillia confessed. What daughter would keep a secret that big from her family? Lillia cursed herself. "Your secret is safe with us, you know that, eyrē asti." The Valérian nickname rolled off her tongue, it meant little star. It was Talia's nickname for Helaena and Lillia, since she witnessed both of their births and often took care of them like they were her own.

"I'm worried about the Order, this could put Anakin at risk." Lillia folded her arms in front of her, and Talia patted the soft bed. Lillia walked over. "Do you love him?" She asked, turning around to face her sister. Lillia nodded. She loved him more than her life itself. "Then you must follow your heart." Talia smiled.

"If Helaena was here, she would've told you to do the same. If it fits in Aeyln's vision, then it is the correct path." She placed a hand on her shoulder, but Lillia trapped her in a tight hug. "I miss Helaena." Lillia whispered into the hug.

"Me too." Talia murmured back. "You know.." Talia started, breaking from the hug and grinning, "you have to get fitted by the same designer as mine." She suggested. Lillia hadn't even thought of a wedding dress. But on Valérian, fallen stars were transformed into fabrics, often used for royalty marriage gowns. The fabrics were littered with crystals from Procidens Stella ( the north sea ) and the lace was imported from the other side of the planet, Erriel.

"I guess I do." Lillia smiled. The wedding could not be as grand as she imagined when she was younger, it would bring attention to their clear arrangement, but the Queen still wanted it to be special. The Val'eaon family would not attend, it would only be Anakin and Lillia, plus a Valérian priest. It hurt the woman that her family could not be present, but it was for better, if they didn't see it, it didn't happen, especially if any snooping Jedi came around.

She stared out the window at the twinkling stars, then to Tatooine, which she found on a star chart the day Anakin left Valérian. Even though it was very far away, and hidden in a sky littered with all kinds of stars and planets, Lillia would always find it, Tatooine was the brightest planet in the Valéri sky. She blinked, softly letting the summer air consume her in the dusky twilight.

AUTHORS NOTE
We are one chapter away from the end of act 2 🥹 I'm going to yap much more on the next chapter, but for now, I hope you enjoyed this short chapter. This will definitely be rewritten (in the future), but I needed to get out an idea and fix it from there :)